Tomba Will Ski A Limited Schedule

Abandoning the temptation to retire, Alberto Tomba said Saturday that he will compete in the upcoming ski season and focus on a world title at next year’s championships in Sestriere.

However, Italy’s ski hero suggested that his participation in the 36-race World Cup competition will be parttime because of his age and knee problems.

“I’m going to start only in those races with properly prepared courses, not forcing me to crazy transfers,” said Tomba, who has often criticized the crowded World Cup program.

Tomba, 29, a three-time Olympic champion who captured two gold medals at the 1996 World Championships in Sierra Nevada, said he will skip the opening race in Austria - a giant slalom at Solden on Oct. 27 - and possibly the gate events at Park City and Breckenridge, in the United States, early in November.

Tomba has 48 wins in World Cup races, with a peak of 11 in 1995. He’s one of the few skiers to win the overall title while starting only in slaloms and giant slaloms. He never competed in downhill and ran only a few super-Gs in his 10-year career.

The skier from Bologna said he began preparation for the 1996-97 season late, because last April he decided to retire.

“I was overly stressed, exhausted following the Sierra Nevada titles, perhaps my most unforgettable wins,” Tomba said. “So I’m not yet well-trained and I plan a late start.”

Tomba hinted that his World Cup season debut might take place at Madonna di Campiglio - one of his favorite tracks - on Dec. 17.